Photo by: Staff

Babies Now Have Email Addresses…Have We Gone Too Far?

Photo by: Staff

Things sure have changed since I grew up!

I remember watching Zack Morris use his clunker of a cell phone on Saved by the Bell and thinking “Why the heck does he need a portable phone?” Of course, now I feel lost if I leave my cell phone at home even when I’m out only for a quick errand.

And, though I tried not to join Facebook when it seemed like a passing craze, I have now been firmly embedded in the Facebook community for about 2 years, and I can’t figure out how I stayed in touch with people before it!

So, I certainly do not consider myself a technophobe.

However, I take my online presence very seriously. I try to refrain from posting anything that future employers, would-be criminals, or even well-meaning acquaintances could use in ways I hadn’t intended.

As adults, we understand the ramifications of posting pictures or comments online. But what about children? Are we introducing our children—even our babies—to technology at too young an age?

A recent poll shows that 70 percent of parents post pictures of their babies on social media sites, and by age 2, more than 80 percent of children have a “digital footprint.” Seven percent of newborns even have email addresses!

Have we gone too far? Are we too trusting of the online community?

I personally take my son’s online presence far more seriously than even my own—after all, he hasn’t chosen to put his name and image on the internet, so I don’t want to cause his future reputation any harm (heaven forbid I post a photo of him now that may come back to haunt him in 25 years when a potential employer digs it up!).

I use an alias for him on my blog and don’t post any clearly identifiable photos of him there. I do post a few pictures of him on Facebook (which was a tough decision, but ultimately, I feel some small sense of protection on Facebook since only friends that I have screened can see my pictures). I’m sure most parents have wrestled with the same dilemma, yet the vast majority of us readily post pictures of our kids weekly (or even daily) on Facebook, and some even have public internet sites (without any visitor screening mechanism) that chronicle their children’s daily lives.

I’m sure that I’m being quite overprotective in this area, but do you think we may be broadcasting too much information about our kids? Do you worry that harm could come from posting pictures of your kids online, or do you feel completely safe in doing so?

Jen Drake is a former government policy analyst and current stay-at-home mom and blogger. She lives outside of Washington, DC with her husband and son.

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